First, some background: I optioned my first spec about two weeks ago, within three weeks of beginning to query on it. The producers have already managed to get talent and a director attached and are now going to studios for financing. The producers are very confident they'll have no difficulty securing financing or getting the film made - the budget is under $10M, the movie's not a star vehicle and they say everyone who's read it so far has loved it. Risk to a studio is pretty low; even the crappiest of crap comedies makes more than $10M at the box, and still more on video release. Office Space is currently a top-10 selling DVD according to Yahoo, and while I thought it was a funny movie it tanked at the box.
Slap me on the ass and call me Sally, this thing may very well get made. And even if it doesn't get made, the deal is structured such that I get paid as soon as firm financing is obtained. After paying the tax man, the remainder of my fee would be equivalent to a year's take-home pay at my day job. Speaking of my day job, I work at a company related to the travel business and all signs point to a company closure by the end of April. I've been looking for a new day job while working on screenplays on the side.
Here's the question: Let's assume for the moment that financing is obtained for the film. Is this the classic case where I need to strike while the iron's hot and spend as much time as that check will allow pitching, taking meetings, writing and hustling for assignments? Or is it still very premature to start thinking about launching a pro screenwriting career in earnest? Would it be more prudent to bank that money against the possibility that I haven't found another job when my company closes up shop, and wait to see what happens if/when I have a produced feature credit? Yet another wrench in the works is knowing that if I DO get a new day job, I'll have to be all new-employee, eager beaver about it and won't have the luxury of taking mornings or afternoons off as needed to go to meetings and run errands related to my writing. I just had an interview yesterday and it went pretty well; if I get an offer, right now I'm not sure if I should take it.
Slap me on the ass and call me Sally, this thing may very well get made. And even if it doesn't get made, the deal is structured such that I get paid as soon as firm financing is obtained. After paying the tax man, the remainder of my fee would be equivalent to a year's take-home pay at my day job. Speaking of my day job, I work at a company related to the travel business and all signs point to a company closure by the end of April. I've been looking for a new day job while working on screenplays on the side.
Here's the question: Let's assume for the moment that financing is obtained for the film. Is this the classic case where I need to strike while the iron's hot and spend as much time as that check will allow pitching, taking meetings, writing and hustling for assignments? Or is it still very premature to start thinking about launching a pro screenwriting career in earnest? Would it be more prudent to bank that money against the possibility that I haven't found another job when my company closes up shop, and wait to see what happens if/when I have a produced feature credit? Yet another wrench in the works is knowing that if I DO get a new day job, I'll have to be all new-employee, eager beaver about it and won't have the luxury of taking mornings or afternoons off as needed to go to meetings and run errands related to my writing. I just had an interview yesterday and it went pretty well; if I get an offer, right now I'm not sure if I should take it.
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